1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to protective gear for snowboard riders, in-line skaters and ice skaters, and, more particularly, to a knee pad which provides a lightweight protective structure capable of shielding the area from potential injurious falls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Snowboarding is presently the fastest growing alpine winter sport in the United States and abroad. With a greater number of ski areas permitting snowboarders to share the same lift serviced terrain as downhill skiers, the number of active participants has mushroomed, particularly in the under 25 years of age group. Snowboarding is analogous to "surfing on the snow." The snowboarder typically wears either "soft-shell" or "rigid-shell" boots, similar to those used with downhill ski equipment, either of which are rigidly secured to a pair of plate bindings, the forward one disposed generally axially and the rear one disposed transverse on the upper surface of the board. Unlike downhill ski equipment which utilizes releasable bindings that are actuated upon the skier's leg encountering a given twisting or pulling load during a fall, snowboard bindings do not release unless manually activated by the snowboarder when removal of the board is desired. Consequently, the snowboard is always anchored to the rider's feet during use. The reason for the design discrepancy between downhill ski equipment and snowboards is apparent in the geometry of the equipment. Skis are typically elongated, having a very high aspect ratio, i.e., the length of the ski in proportion to its width. Thus, when a skier falls, the long ski length facilitates the generation of a large torque or twisting moment at the interface between the skier's boot and the ski which, if not eliminated by release of the boot from the ski, can easily result in serious leg injuries. Moreover, each ski may be following a mutually exclusive path of travel during the fall. In contrast, because a snowboard has a relatively short aspect ratio, and since both legs are attached to one board, the types of falls encountered by a snowboarder are markedly different from those a downhill skier may face. Thus, the likelihood of leg injuries due to twisting, such as typically encountered in downhill skiing, are not a real concern. Unfortunately, the snowboarder must contend with a different type of fall, one which results in the rider falling forward upon his or her knees and arms, and the other in which the rider falls over backwards upon his or her posterior. It is the former which can result in severe pain and/or injury to an unprotected knee, and to which the present invention is directed. Similar types of falls are also common while using in-line or ice skates.
There is no protective gear presently available on the market which is capable of providing a snowboard rider with a lightweight, removable pad which may be comfortably worn on the wearer's legs around the knee area to reduce the likelihood of painful, serious knee injuries.